1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to gaming systems. More particularly, the invention is a apparatus and method configured to maintain a player's game state.
2. The Prior Art
Gaming devices of various types have been in use for many years. The most common type is the conventional slot. A player operates a slot machine by providing coin or paper monies that are received as game credits towards playing a game on the slot machine. Some machines allow a user to provide game credits in the form of a voucher, a printed coupon or a data card (e.g. magnetic strip or smart card). Once the sufficient amount of game credits has been provided to constitute a wager, the player then initiates the game, normally by pulling a handle or activating a button. If a winning event occurs pursuant to the game, the slot machine issues a winning amount according to the player's wager and to a predetermined pay scheme. The game results are generally based on randomly generated events. The winning amount issued to the user is provided by a corresponding amount of game credits, which the player may redeem (cash-out) or use for further play on the slot machine. Similar game play and award schemes are provided according to other gaming devices such as video poker machines and keno machines.
Bonus and progressive awards have been introduced as improvements to conventional gaming devices to entice increased game play and income for casinos. For example, a common bonus scheme is to award a player a chance to multiply his award winnings pursuant to a secondary or bonus stage of the game. Most bonus awards are simply an increased multiple of the primary winnings and are issued as game credits suitable for redemption or further play of the gaming device. In certain cases where the bonus award is large, manual payout by a casino attendant may be required. In some cases, a non-monetary prize (e.g., a car or motorcycle) is made the subject of the bonus award. Like the monetary progressive awards, these non-monetary prizes are normally tendered manually by a casino attendant.
Progressive awards, like bonus awards, also normally comprise simple monetary credits, but typically comprise a large jackpot amount. Progressive schemes employ a plurality of gaming machines that the players of each compete for the progressive award, wherein a portion of the wager is contributed to the progressive award. Upon the occurrence of a specific game result, the progressive award is issued to the player. Since the progressive award is normally large, it is normally paid manually by a casino attendant or cashier.
Another prior art gaming implementation is known as “investment bonus”. An example of this type of game is the 1937 Mills “Bonus Bell” game which provides a primary slot reel game, and a secondary investment bonus game (or “come-on” feature). During play the word “BONUS” could be spelled out by hitting the correct letters in sequence on the first reel for an eighteen (18) coin award. This type of game is generally referred to as an “investment bonus” game, because the player invests in continued play of the same machine to achieve the requirements for the bonus award (e.g., forming the word “BONUS”). If the player were to terminate play of the investment game prior to completing the requirements for the bonus award (e.g., the player only completes “BON”, the player normally forfeits the player's prior investments (“BON”) and must later fulfill the requirements anew. Furthermore, a subsequent player may “take over” a previous player's investment by commencing play of the investment bonus game after the previous player vacates the machine.
Current gaming devices and methods, while suitable for normal award credit payout and one-time non-monetary prize payout, have some particular disadvantages. First, current gaming schemes are not well suited for awarding prizes having a hierarchical arrangement which require a player to collect two or more “winning events” towards the redemption of an award. This is especially true where the winning events may be derived from two or more gaming machines. For example, in conventional “bonus”, secondary, or investment bonus games, the player may accumulate points towards redemption of a bonus prize. An example of such points may be spaces on a game board such as tic-tac-toe or Monopoly™ or in the case of the Mills game, a collection of letters to form the word “BONUS”. Once the player has accumulated the sufficient number of (e.g., collection of or arrangement of) game points, the player may be awarded a bonus prize. However, current systems do not allow a player to collect the player's game points on one machine for usage on a secondary machine for further collection of points toward prize redemption. Nor do current systems provide the collection of points on one machine for redemption of awards on another machine or a central (or separate) prize station. Current systems also fail to provide for collection of points on one machine for later aggregation with the same machine during subsequent play.
Furthermore, current systems do not provide a hierarchical scheme of non-monetary prizes. As noted above, current bonus or progressive prizes present a single jackpot, perhaps at various prize levels. However, current systems fail to provide for accumulation of lower prize awards for subsequent opportunities at achieving higher level award prizes based on the accumulation of lower prize awards. A system which would offer game play and accumulation of points towards redemption of prizes either on a second gaming machine or a central or separate prize station would entice continued game play and therefore additional revenue for the casino.
According to some jurisdictions, gaming is restricted to lottery-based play, where a game results is selected from a fixed pool of outcomes, rather than from a randomly generated event. These systems also provide for similar bonus or progressive structures as described above utilizing fixed-pool schemes. The needs outlined above for an award and redemption system having movable game points or credits are also needed in lottery-based gaming environments to encourage increased game play and thereby increase revenue.